Carlos Alcaraz continued his perfect record this year against arch-rival Jannik Sinner with a thrilling win in the China Open final. The Spaniard proved why he is arguably the best male player as he dug deep to triumph in three sets.
Heading into the final, Alcaraz had met Sinner twice this year. The 21-year-old beat the Italian in three sets at the Indian Wells semifinals and then earned a comeback victory in the last four at the French Open.
In the first set in Beijing on Tuesday (October 2), Sinner came back from 2-5 down and then from 4-6 in the tiebreak to take it 7-6(6). In the second set, Alcaraz turned the tables. Despite facing multiple break points at 3-4, he handled the situation impeccably and went on to level the scores.
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Sinner raised his level in the deciding set, forcing Alcaraz to make errors. The Spaniard let slip a break lead at 0-3 to Sinner. However, he rallied to win the match 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) and clinch the China Open title for the first time.
It was the first match Alcaraz dropped a set since arriving in Beijing. During the on-court interview, Alcaraz revealed that he was happy with the way he handled the difficult moments in the match, particularly the tiebreaks.
I’m so proud of the way I manage things today. It was so tough. I never lost hope but I knew his tiebreak winning streak.
Carlos Alcaraz said
Alcaraz. "You deserve the year that you are having. I have seen you work. You are very humble. Wanna congratulate you for the great work. I respect you as a player but even more as a person".
Alcaraz’s victory over Sinner strengthens his head-to-head lead against Sinner to 6-4. It was also his eighth win over a Top 5 player and eleventh against a Top 10 player this season.
Fans on social media praise Carlos Alcaraz for his comeback win against Jannik Sinner at the China Open
Fans on social media have hailed Carlos Alcaraz‘s comeback against Jannik Sinner in the thrilling China Open final. The Spaniard arrived in Beijing seeking his first title since Wimbledon in July.
Carlos Alcaraz (via X)
Sinner has already won six titles and was on a 15-match win streak. But the 21-year-old triumphed against the Italian to win his fourth title of the season and sixteenth career title.
Here are some of the fans reactions to the Spanaird’s title win:
What a game . Could've gone either way but Carlos showed why he is the best player in the world on his day . Still only 21 years , this kid will dominate this game
Alcaraz has become the first player to win ATP 500 events on three different surfaces. He won on clay (Barcelona Open in 2022 and 2023), on grass (2023 Queen’s Club Championship), and finally on the hard courts in Beijing. He will next join Sinner at the Shanghai Masters.
Victor Okechukwu is a Tennis Writer at Firstsportz. With over six months of experience, he is aiming to understand how tennis tournaments connect with fans' lives. Also, he is a short story writer, good at weaving metaphorical phrases to reveal his characters, and also has more than two dozen publications to boast for it.
Victor Okechukwu
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